Terrified of labour? Read this!

Ever since we realised storks would not be delivering our little bundies of joy, there has been a certain element of fear that surrounds giving birth.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we are joined by one new little Australian every one minute and 41 seconds, and according to birthing forums across the country, there appears to be a whole lot of fear wrapped around jut how those little ones are going to enter our world.

We’ve collated the top concerns and put them before Dr Philippa Costley, obstetrician, gynaecologist and spokesperson for RANZCOG, who happily confirms we can probably all just relax a little.

Fear #1: What happens if I go into labour before my scheduled caesarean?

If you and your baby haven’t quite been able to sync diaries and she decides she’d like to arrive earlier than planned, there’s little reason to be alarmed, says Dr Costley. “Ultimately what happens next depends on the reason for the c-section, but for example, those whose babies are breech or have a placenta praevia would still have a caesarean as planned,” she says. “If the mother is booked in for another reason such as perhaps having had a previous caesarean, they may be able to choose between attempting a vaginal delivery or proceeding with the c-section as planned.” Maternal request elective c-sections will also usually go ahead as scheduled.

Fear #2: Will I poop during the birthing process?

There’s no delicate way of putting this but yes, you probably will. “Around 50 per cent of women will pass some motion during the second stage of labour,” confirms Dr Costley. “But it’s a small amount and we tend to quickly clean it up before the mother even realises it has happened.”

There’s nothing you can do to prevent it from happening either; you just need to relax and accept it for it is, advises Dr Costley, who adds that it’s not the mother pushing it out, but the baby’s head. “But believe me when I tell you it’s nothing we haven’t seen before so we barely even notice it.”

Fear #3: What will happen if I don’t make it to the hospital in time?

The thought of having a baby roadside makes most of us tremble with fear, but the chances of this happening is quite minimal, says Dr Costley. “If a women felt like her labour was progressing very quickly and she didn’t think she’d make it to the hospital, we would recommend she call for an ambulance right away,” she says. “Some women deliver their babies with an ambulance crew in attendance, while others deliver in the actual ambulance and they’re in safe hands.” If do you find yourself in a situation where you’re likely to be delivering at home alone, things might be frightening but they should be okay, adds Dr Costley. “If the delivery is so quick that you’ve been unable to make it out of the house, the likelihood of everything turning out well is high.”

If you do give birth outside of a hospital, you will still need to present as quickly as you can so that doctors can check that your placenta has also been delivered and that you and your baby are healthy.

Fear #4: Will pain medication affect my baby?

Some women worry that the drugs they take during labour will negatively impact or harm their baby, but the good news is: you can happily take any drug made available to you by your doctor. “Most pain relief has a minimal effect on baby,” she says. “While some drugs such as morphine or pethidine can cause baby to be a little sleepier than normal when first born, and slower to react, with appropriate support such as oxygen, the baby will generally recover quickly.”

Fear #5: What if I don’t have enough time for an epidural?

Not making into the hospital in time to get an epidural is one of the more common fears Dr Costley hears, and it’s a fair one to have since there is a clear cut-off. “Epidurals generally start to work within 10 – 15 minutes but realistically you need a solid 30 minutes before it starts working at optimum level,” she says. “If a woman presents and we can see she’s going to birth within the next 10 minutes, we can’t give her an epidural and we can’t try to stop or delay the baby from being born.” On the bright side, Dr Costley offers this: “Having a baby is the best pain relief – if the baby is born quickly, then the pain is over quickly too.”

Fear #6: I’m worried the cord will be wrapped around baby’s neck

It’s common for babies to wear umbilical cords loosely, like scarves, and most of the time, Dr Costley says this does not present a problem. “Fortunately we’re living in a time where this is so closely monitored that it’s rare for there to be an undetected problem,” she says. “If the cord tightens around the baby’s neck and affects baby’s blood supply, it will be picked up by the heart rate dropping during labour and if this is the case, often it may be suggested delivery be expedited either via vacuum or forceps delivery, or via caesarean.”

Fear #7: Is my c-section recovery going to be horrendous?

We’ve all heard war stories of post-caesarean recovery, but Dr Costley says recovery varies widely person to person. “I’ve had patients walking around the following morning and others who have checked out of hospital 24 – 48 hours after having had a c-section so sometimes recovery can be swift,” she says, explaining emergency caesareans tend to be a little more complicated than planned. “First caesareans also tend to be more straight-forward than repeat caesareans due to previous scar tissue, but in most cases, we’d expect women to be up and about the following day and onto minimal pain relief within the week.”

Fear #8: What if my pain medication doesn’t work?

Worried you’ll feel everything down there – even though you’ve asked for Keith Richards-level opiates? This is one fear you can happily put into the back of your mind, says Dr Costley. “In my experience, it’s rare for pain medication not to work effectively, but should a patient feel any discomfort or feel they need more assistance, we’ll get the anaesthetist back in straight away,” she says. “We can almost always find a way to make women feel more comfortable for the biggest day of their lives.”